


A Cry in the Night

by IrreverentFangirl



Category: Arrow (TV 2012), Batman (Comics), The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canary Cry, Central City, Comic Book Incorporations, F/F, Laurel Lance Centric, Meta!Laurel, The Flash Season One!AU, Young Justice Incorporations
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-08
Updated: 2016-04-08
Packaged: 2018-06-01 02:43:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 662
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6497674
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IrreverentFangirl/pseuds/IrreverentFangirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Oliver never cheated on Laurel with Sara; he slept with some random girl instead. So when he dies and Laurel learns that her boyfriend had been with someone else, she just needs to get away. She talks to her mom and is helped in finding a new place to live in Central City. </p><p>While there, she gets a roommate, a cute kid named Barry Allen. Barry's a forensic scientist for the CCPD and he's one of the nicest people she meets. She and him become friends and through him she becomes close with Iris West and everything is good - for the first five years at least. </p><p>That’s when she finds out that Oliver is still alive and is back in Starling City. Then, just a year later she learns that her childhood best friend was shot in the spine and is paralyzed. Then the particle accelerator explodes, leaving her mute and her best friend in a nine month coma. </p><p>That’s when everything changed.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Cry in the Night

**Author's Note:**

> This is somewhat based on a post dickiebirds posted on her tumblr. Check her out - she's great! I hope you all enjoy my choice to completely ignore canon and rewrite everything.

Laurel threw herself in her mom’s arms. “He died cheating on me, mama,” she choked out, tears welling up in her eyes. 

Dinah sighed, running her hand through Laurel’s hair in an age-old attempt to soothe her daughter. “I am so sorry,” she whispered into Laurel’s curls. Laurel had buried her face into Dinah’s chest as she sobbed and Dinah felt a pain shoot through her chest, followed by a familiar rush of hatred. 

It was a good thing Oliver Queen was dead or she’d have killed him herself. 

After a moment wrapped in Dinah’s embrace, Laurel pulled away and, sniffling, wiped her bright red nose. “I can't stay here,”  she said. “I can’t stay in this city, where everything is a fucking reminder of that asshole - I need to get out.” 

“Where do you want go, sweetheart?” Dinah asked, her heart sinking. There was a very familiar knot of terror in her throat at the thought that Laurel might say Gotham, she had  _ friends _ there. She had Barbara, she had the whole Gordon and Drake families. 

But Dinah didn’t want her daughter anywhere near the city that the Joker was located in. 

“Central,” Laurel said, decidedly. 

Dinah’s eyes widened. “Central?” she asked. “As in Central City?” 

Laurel nodded. “Yes,” she said. “Central has proven many times over to be a safe city, at the very least it’s safer than Starling. It’s far enough away that I can avoid the infamy of being the late Oliver Queen’s ex-girlfriend and I don’t know anyone there so I can start over. I want to live in Central City.” 

Dinah stood in front of her daughter, frozen, before her lips began to spread in a bright smile. “Okay,” she said. “Central City then.” 

.

.

.

Two months later and Laurel was ready to go. She was standing in front of her car with family surrounding her. She knew she looked exhausted, with dark circles under her eyes and her hair in a sloppy bun, but she felt better than she had since she had learned that Ollie had cheated on her with some woman, right after they had agreed to move into together. 

She felt free and whole. 

Red-rimmed eyes and sad smiles were sent Laurel’s way, from Sara and Quentin. Dinah, on the other hand, looked proud of her daughter. She was staring at Laurel with a soft smile before opening her arms up. 

Laurel couldn’t help herself she launched herself into her mother’s arms, burying her face in the crook between Dinah’s neck and shoulder. “I’m going to miss you guys so much,” she whispered. 

Dinah sighed, kissing the top of Laurel’s head. “We’re going to miss you too, Laur. I hope you’re happy in Central though. And I hope you’re roommate works out.” 

Laurel tugged away, though there was an air of reluctance around her. “I’ll be fine mama,” she said. “And Barry Allen seems nice.” 

Quentin made a face. “I’m still not sure how I feel about my baby girl living with some strange boy,” he said. 

Laurel turned to him with a deadpan look on her face. “I’m a big girl, daddy,” she said. 

“Yeah, daddy,” Sara interjected. “Laur can take care of herself.” She ducked her head and laurel barely heard her whisper, “I just wish taking care of herself didn’t mean leaving.” 

Guilt filled her. She was gonna miss Sara so much. She grabbed her little sister’s arm and pulled her into a tight hug. “I love you, Sar-Bear,” she whispered into her ear. 

“Love you too, Laur,” Sara whispered back. 

“I’ll see you soon,” Laurel promised. “We’ll FaceTime soon, I promise.” She pulled her away from Sara, before turning to Quentin and kissed him on the cheek. “Bye, daddy.” 

Quentin kissed her cheek in return. “Bye, baby-girl,” he said. 

She smiled at them again before turning away from them and getting in her car, driving away. 

She’d miss them, but she knew leaving was the best choice for her.


End file.
